Brazil sugar production soaring, up 104% in June

In Brazil, a S&P Global Platts survey of analysts concludes that “sugar production in Brazil’s key Center-South region in the first half of June is expected to be nearly 2.45 million metric tons “, up 104% on the year and up 40% from the second half of May.

The survey, which noted the drier weather more conducive to harvesting, projected a cane crush f 41.18 million metric tons with a total recoverable sugar of 127.13 kilograms per metric ton, and with sugar production of 2,455 thousand metric tons (or 48.7%) and ethanol production at1,573 million liters (51.3%). In ethanol, hydrous ethanol production is expected to reach 881 million liters, with anhydrous ethanol production of 691.7 million liters. The ethanol production is up 46% from last year. Overall, cane crushing is trailing last year due to a sluggish start to 2017 – volume is exptecte to taril 2016 YTD by 9% as of the end of June.

“Sugar production [will] set a new fortnightly record for this season due to a high sugar mix level and good crushing volumes,” said Platts Kingsman analyst Claudiu Covrig.

Sugar production is expected to be 2.68 million mt, while ATR is expected to have reached 128 kg/mt of cane, according to Covrig. UNICA has yet to release its officla productino figures.